Sea of Poppies
Ratings4
Average rating3.8
15
Ratings4
Average rating3.8
At the heart of this epic saga, set just before the Opium Wars, is an old slave ship The Ibis. Its destiny is a tumultuous voyage across the Indian Ocean; its crew a motley array of sailors, stowaways, and convicts. In a time of colonial upheaval, the ship boasts a diverse cast of Indians, coolies, and Westerners, from a bankrupt raja to a widowed village woman, from a mulatto American to an evangelical opium trader. As their family ties wash away, they come to view themselves as jahaj-bhais, or ship-brothers, and an unlikely dynasty is born. The vast sweep of this historical adventure spans the lush poppy fields of the Ganges, the rolling high seas, and the back streets of China. But it is the panorama of sharply drawn characters that brings Sea of Poppies so breathtakingly alive. The first in a trilogy, this is a masterpiece by a world-class novelist.
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2 primary booksIbis Trilogy is a 2-book series with 2 primary works first released in 2008 with contributions by Amitav Ghosh.
Reviews with the most likes.
The book is a language lesson in the way English was absorbed and adapted and it was fascinating to see colonialism from a fresh and non European perspective.
Really loved this. The characters are complex and written well, and it's a rollicking adventure that relishes the chaotic melting pot of the times. A little bit salacious in the way that tv series writing can be these days, in latter parts I actually felt like I was reading something designed for contemporary TV audiences of the kind that love Outlander, Vikings, and other historical adventure series. It's perfect for TV adaptation and I hope that reports of a production beginning will come to bear.
I loved the richness of the language and linguistic plays. Good mix of shock, humour, romance, drama, intrigue, whilst not compromising literary merit or stretching, too far, the bounds of historical accuracy.
